Published: Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 9:10 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 9:10 p.m.

PUNTA GORDA - “Florida, ho!” shouted the Royal Order of Ponce de Leon Conquistadors, firing a toy cannon for several hundred onlookers as they sailed toward Laishley Park on Charlotte Harbor.

At 11:33 a.m. Saturday — about 30 minutes late — Jerry York stepped ashore wearing the gold helmet that signifies him as this year’s Ponce de Leon.

The 70-year-old grandee tucked his sunglasses into a frilly white shirt and strode through the park in knee-high black boots, along with a colorful doublet and pantaloons.

“This is not pink,” York told one admirer. “This is raspberry.”

Since 1979, the conquistadors have offered costume drama and colonial history to promote Punta Gorda events.

This year’s Ponce de Leon Festival celebrates the quincentennial of the Spanish explorer’s landing in Florida. Locals and visitors had to use their imagination to picture the Spanish among the kettle corn and mini-donuts, craft stands and bounce houses.

Dick and Mary Rockosi, a pair of New Jersey retirees, were up to the task.

“We’re kind of history buffs, so we’re here and we’ve done the Calusa history trail,” Mary said, referring to a state walkway through a former Calusa Indian settlement on Pine Island. “This is spectacular, you know — 500 years! — and they do such a good job with it.”

This year’s Ponce de Leon celebration had to compete for local attention with a Saturday farmer’s market, a Tampa Bay Rays spring training game and the Florida International Air Show.

Connie Eldridge showed up early for the festival and treated herself to a bloody Mary.

“I have to be in the right mood; today this sounded good,” she joked. “I know Ponce had to have one when he landed.”

Festival fans and the conquistadors themselves enjoy laughing about history more than studying it.

Tom des Enfants, who dressed as a friar for the festival, offered a mock invocation.

“We landed early on the high tide so we would not miss Happy Hour,” he told the crowd. “We made peace with the tribe we know as snowbirds.”

On Thursday night in Punta Gorda, more than a dozen conquistadors showed up at a gallery walk to promote the Ponce de Leon Festival.

They handed out fliers, passed out beads and posed for pictures. They explained to newcomers that they’re an 80-member social club and service organization.

“We promote Charlotte County. We do all the parades. We give scholarships,” said Frank Lazar, a retiree from Cleveland, noting that the group also raised $200,000 for the Ponce statue in nearby Gilchrist Park.

Larry Sexton of Indianapolis retired to Punta Gorda in 2004. He joined a yacht club and then found his way to the conquistadors.

Wearing a costume that looks like upholstery is part of the gig.

“This is kind of out of character for me,” Sexton said. “Now that I’ve done it, it’s kind of fun, though these are blazingly hot in the summer.”

Some of the conquistadors spend several hundred dollars or more on their costumes. Others buy used gear. Charlie Snow got his girlfriend to sew an outfit.

Nearly all of the conquistadors are gray-haired retirees in their 60s and 70s. The exception is 50-year-old Kevin Gossett, who runs a drywall business and is vice president of the organization.

He has a black goatee and wears a purple doublet that he jokes is made out of Crown Royal bags.

Gossett was in line to be the next president — and Ponce — but now he’s stepping aside.

The conflict? He’s the lead singer of a classic rock band called American Made, covering old Bob Seger and Tom Petty songs.

“Yeah, I was supposed to be the poster boy for the conquistadors, but then the band took off,” he says. “The good news is that I finished all my offices. I still have fun with the guys and I’m still on the board.”

Lindsay Harrington, a real estate agent and former state representative, is the longest-serving conquistador. He was Ponce back in 1986.

“It was very small, very low-key,” he said. “Everything was at Fishermen’s Village. Then we were in an arts and crafts fair.”

Over time, the conquistadors became less of a party group and more of a historical organization. The importance of Ponce de Leon’s trips to the Gulf Coast became more apparent as the 500th anniversary approached.

“It’s matured a lot,” Harrington said. “We’ve taken trips to Spain and Puerto Rico and the Domincan Republic.”

On Saturday morning, York led a procession of conquistadors through Laishley Park. People in the crowd oohed and ahhed over the colorful costumes and flags.

A festival band, meanwhile, segued from “Momma Told Me Not To Come” to “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

York, a retired business consultant from Massachusetts, shook hands and tossed beads. He posed for pictures and did television interviews. He spoke to the crowd as Ponce de Leon, returning to the harbor after 500 years.

“I was surprised when we sailed past Fishermen’s Village,” he joked. “I don’t remember that at all.”

The day was humid, but young and old seemed to be having a good time.

Paige Grodi, a 10-year-old from Longwood, was visiting her grandparents in Punta Gorda. They took her to the festival, where she watched the conquistadors, climbed aboard a replica sailing ship and took away some Florida history.

“It’s about Ponce de Leon,” she explained. “He landed in St. Augustine, also.”

<p><em>PUNTA GORDA</em> - “Florida, ho!” shouted the Royal Order of Ponce de Leon Conquistadors, firing a toy cannon for several hundred onlookers as they sailed toward Laishley Park on Charlotte Harbor.</p><p>At 11:33 a.m. Saturday — about 30 minutes late — Jerry York stepped ashore wearing the gold helmet that signifies him as this year's Ponce de Leon.</p><p>The 70-year-old grandee tucked his sunglasses into a frilly white shirt and strode through the park in knee-high black boots, along with a colorful doublet and pantaloons.</p><p>“This is not pink,” York told one admirer. “This is raspberry.”</p><p>Since 1979, the conquistadors have offered costume drama and colonial history to promote Punta Gorda events.</p><p>This year's Ponce de Leon Festival celebrates the quincentennial of the Spanish explorer's landing in Florida. Locals and visitors had to use their imagination to picture the Spanish among the kettle corn and mini-donuts, craft stands and bounce houses.</p><p>Dick and Mary Rockosi, a pair of New Jersey retirees, were up to the task.</p><p>“We're kind of history buffs, so we're here and we've done the Calusa history trail,” Mary said, referring to a state walkway through a former Calusa Indian settlement on Pine Island. “This is spectacular, you know — 500 years! — and they do such a good job with it.”</p><p>This year's Ponce de Leon celebration had to compete for local attention with a Saturday farmer's market, a Tampa Bay Rays spring training game and the Florida International Air Show.</p><p>Connie Eldridge showed up early for the festival and treated herself to a bloody Mary.</p><p>“I have to be in the right mood; today this sounded good,” she joked. “I know Ponce had to have one when he landed.”</p><p>Festival fans and the conquistadors themselves enjoy laughing about history more than studying it. </p><p>Tom des Enfants, who dressed as a friar for the festival, offered a mock invocation.</p><p>“We landed early on the high tide so we would not miss Happy Hour,” he told the crowd. “We made peace with the tribe we know as snowbirds.”</p><p>On Thursday night in Punta Gorda, more than a dozen conquistadors showed up at a gallery walk to promote the Ponce de Leon Festival.</p><p>They handed out fliers, passed out beads and posed for pictures. They explained to newcomers that they're an 80-member social club and service organization.</p><p>“We promote Charlotte County. We do all the parades. We give scholarships,” said Frank Lazar, a retiree from Cleveland, noting that the group also raised $200,000 for the Ponce statue in nearby Gilchrist Park.</p><p>Larry Sexton of Indianapolis retired to Punta Gorda in 2004. He joined a yacht club and then found his way to the conquistadors.</p><p>Wearing a costume that looks like upholstery is part of the gig.</p><p>“This is kind of out of character for me,” Sexton said. “Now that I've done it, it's kind of fun, though these are blazingly hot in the summer.”</p><p>Some of the conquistadors spend several hundred dollars or more on their costumes. Others buy used gear. Charlie Snow got his girlfriend to sew an outfit.</p><p>She spent weeks working with black and silver brocade.</p><p>“Oh, my gosh, too many hours — I wanted it to be perfect,” said Judy Shephard. “But it's pretty awesome. The guys look good.”</p><p>Nearly all of the conquistadors are gray-haired retirees in their 60s and 70s. The exception is 50-year-old Kevin Gossett, who runs a drywall business and is vice president of the organization.</p><p>He has a black goatee and wears a purple doublet that he jokes is made out of Crown Royal bags.</p><p>Gossett was in line to be the next president — and Ponce — but now he's stepping aside.</p><p>The conflict? He's the lead singer of a classic rock band called American Made, covering old Bob Seger and Tom Petty songs.</p><p>“Yeah, I was supposed to be the poster boy for the conquistadors, but then the band took off,” he says. “The good news is that I finished all my offices. I still have fun with the guys and I'm still on the board.”</p><p>Lindsay Harrington, a real estate agent and former state representative, is the longest-serving conquistador. He was Ponce back in 1986.</p><p>“It was very small, very low-key,” he said. “Everything was at Fishermen's Village. Then we were in an arts and crafts fair.”</p><p>Over time, the conquistadors became less of a party group and more of a historical organization. The importance of Ponce de Leon's trips to the Gulf Coast became more apparent as the 500th anniversary approached.</p><p>“It's matured a lot,” Harrington said. “We've taken trips to Spain and Puerto Rico and the Domincan Republic.”</p><p>On Saturday morning, York led a procession of conquistadors through Laishley Park. People in the crowd oohed and ahhed over the colorful costumes and flags.</p><p>A festival band, meanwhile, segued from “Momma Told Me Not To Come” to “When the Saints Go Marching In.”</p><p>York, a retired business consultant from Massachusetts, shook hands and tossed beads. He posed for pictures and did television interviews. He spoke to the crowd as Ponce de Leon, returning to the harbor after 500 years.</p><p>“I was surprised when we sailed past Fishermen's Village,” he joked. “I don't remember that at all.”</p><p>The day was humid, but young and old seemed to be having a good time.</p><p>Paige Grodi, a 10-year-old from Longwood, was visiting her grandparents in Punta Gorda. They took her to the festival, where she watched the conquistadors, climbed aboard a replica sailing ship and took away some Florida history.</p><p>“It's about Ponce de Leon,” she explained. “He landed in St. Augustine, also.”</p>